5695 Journal of Extension Education Vol. 28 No. 3, 2016 DOI:https://doi.org/10.26725/JEE.2016.3.28.5695-5702 A Quantitative Study on Indigenous Medicinal Plants used by Tribes of

Simi Asharaf1 and M. Sundaramari2

ABSTRACT A quantitative study of indigenous medicinal plants with detailed documentation among tribal people was carried out in Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary, , Kerala State. Nine tribal settlements were selected for the study based on the area and availability of information. Accordingly 120 informants were selected purposively. Direct observation, semi structured interview and group discussion were used to collect the data from the informants. The collected data was analysed using Micro-soft Excel spreadsheet 2010 and summarized using descriptive statistical methods. Five different quantitative statistical tools such as Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC), Use value (UV), Relative Importance Index (RI), Relative Importance Index (RI), Fidelity Level (FL) and Informants’ Consensus Factor (ICF) were analysed with score. Acacia caesia (L.) Wild had the highest RFC with rank I,; Adhatoda beddomei C.B. Clarke gave the highest use value with the maximum number of medicinal purposes (four). A majority of species were found to be most used among the community. The highest level of ICF was obtained for urological ailments (UA) followed by gynaecological ailments (GAA) and Dermatological ailments (DA) in that order.

Keywords : Indigenous Medicinal Plants, Quantitative factors, Idukki district, Kerala

2002). Indigenous medicine is a special INTRODUCTION type of indigenous knowledge with the Indigenous knowledge is the integration of information, practices, knowledge, innovations and practices technologies, beliefs, experimentation, of indigenous and local communities biological resources, human resources practiced around the world. Developed and communication. In developing from experience, gained and tested over countries, many people (more than 80%) centuries and adapted to the local culture depend on indigenous medicines because and environment, such knowledge is they have no access to modern medicines transmitted orally from generation and accepted as it is safe (Runyoro et to generation (Pushpangadan et al., al., 2006). Traditional healers act as

1. Ph.D.Scholar, Faculty of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Gandhigram Rural Institute- Deemed University, Gandhigram-624 302 and 2. Professor (Agricultural Extension), Faculty of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Gandhigram Rural Institute-Deemed University, Gandhigram-624 302 Received : 15-05-2017; Accepted : 15-06-2017 5696

A Quantitative Study on Indigenous Medicinal Plants used by Tribes of Keral

a core of the community, taking more Development Office, . A list advantages over diverse species of flora of tribal healers/ elderly persons who and fauna and they are carrying it to have rich knowledge in medicinal plants next generation. Indigenous medicinal was prepared with the support of hamlet inventories are today recognized as the headman (oorumooppan) and a total of most effective method of identifying new one hundred and twenty respondents medicinal plants or refocusing on those were selected purposively. plants reported in earlier studies for the Method of Data Collection possible extraction of beneficial bioactive Taking in to consideration of the compounds (Thirumalai et al., 200). scope and objective of the study, direct The present study was designed to observation, semi structured interview document the medicinal uses of plants and group discussion were followed for and to determine Relative Frequency data collection. The field survey was Index (RFC), Use Value (UV), Relative undertaken with the help of hamlet Importance (RI), Fidelity Level (FL) and headman and two local tribal men having Informants’ Consensus Factor (ICF) of through knowledge about the area. such species/ ailments of Kannampadi, Statistical Tools used : Quantitative part of Idukki Wild Life Sanctuary, in analysis order to evaluate their potential for new drugs of herbal origin. i. Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC) METHODOLOGY This index, which does not consider the Study Area and Selection of variable u (use-category), is obtained by Respondents dividing the number of informants who The study was undertaken mention the use of the species, also during 2015-2016, in remote tribal known as frequency of citation (FC), by settlements located inside the Idukki the number of informants participating Wildlife Sanctuary, Idukki in Kerala, in the survey (N). Using the same . It is the natural abode of the terminology, the numerator can be seen aboriginal tribes – such as Malayarayans as the summation of the UR of all the and Uralis whose main occupation is informants interviewed for the species agriculture. Nine tribal settlements without considering the use-category namely Memari, Kannampadi, (Tardio & Pado-de Santayana, 2008). Kathitheppan, Thekkuthottam, Vakkathi, Kollathikkadu, Keezhukaanam, Mullam and Punnappara were selected after consulting with Integrated Tribal For example, Acalypha indica L. was 5697

Journal of Extension Education reported as useful by 72 out of 120 informants; hence, RFC Acalypha indica L (Tardio and Pado-de Santayana, 2008). 72/120=0.600. This index theoretically varies from 0, when nobody refers to the iv. The Fidelity Level (FL) plant as useful, to 1 in the unlikely case The percentage of informants that all the informants would mention claiming the use of a certain plant the use of the species. species for the same major purpose was calculated for the most frequently ii) Use Value (UV) reported diseases or ailments as: The use value (UV) demonstrates the relative importance of plants known locally. It was calculated using the Where, Np = number of informants following formula: that claim a use of a plant species to treat a particular disease; N = number of informants that use the plants as a medicine to treat any given disease. where Ui is the number of uses mentioned (Zashim Uddin, 2014) by each informant for a given species v. Informants’ Consensus Factor and N is the total number of informants (ICF) (Gazzaneo et al., 2005). iii) Relative Importance Index (RI) Where, Nur = number of use This index takes into account only reports from informants for a particular the use-categories not the subcategories plant-use category; Nt = number of taxa using the following formula. or species that are used for that plant use category for all informants (Zashim Uddin, 2014) FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION where RFCs(max) is the relative frequency of citation over the maximum, i.e., Diversity of Ethnomedicinal Plants it is obtained by dividing FCs by the A total of 70 medicinal plants maximum value in all the species of representing 33 families with 57 genera the survey (RFCs(max)= FCs/max FC) and were used to treat various human ailments

RNUs(max) is the relative number of use- in the study area. Of the medicinal plants categories over the maximum, obtained documented in the study area, 71.42% dividing the number of uses of the were collected from wild, 18.57% were species by the maximum from cultivated home garden and 10.01% value in all the species of the survey from road side and wasteland. The same 5698

A Quantitative Study on Indigenous Medicinal Plants used by Tribes of Keral

result was also reported elsewhere in in this area. The analysis of plant habit Idukki, Kerala (Simon, 2011, Sudeesh, in the area indicated that, herbs (40%) 2012 & Ajesh, 2012 ).This shows that the dominated the domain of medicinal culture of biodiversity conservation along plants reported in the study area followed with medicinal plants is well established by trees (35.71%), shrubs with (21.42%) and climbers (2.87%) (Table 1). Table 1. Indigenous Medicinal Plants Used by Tribes of Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary Sl. Sl. Scientific Name Scientific Name No. No. 1. Acacia caesia (L.)Willd. 20. Azadirachta indica A.Juss., 21. Azima tetracantha Lam. 2. Acacia catechu (L.) Willd., Oliv. 22. Bacopa monniera (L.) Pennel 3. Acacia nilotica (L.) Willd. 23. Bambusa bumbos ex Delile 24. Bauhinia malabarica Roxb. 4. Acalypha indica L. 5. Acorus calamus L 25. Bauhinia purpurea 6. Achyranthes aspera 26. Biophytum sensitivum 7. Adenanthera pavonina L. 27. Boerhavia diffusa L. nom. cons. 8. Adhatoda beddomei C.B. 28. Borassus flabellifer L. Clarke 29. Bridelia retusa (L.) A.Juss. 9. Adhatoda vasica Nees Butea monosperma 30. 10. Aegle marmelos (L.) Corrêa (Lam.) Taub. Caesalpinia coriaria 11. Aerva lanata 31. (Jacq.) Willd. 12. Aganosma dichotoma (Roth) K. 32. Caesalpinia crista Schum. Caesalpinia pulcherrima 13. Alangium salviifolium (L. f.) 33. (L.) Sw. Wangerin 34. Caesalpinia sappan 14. Albizia lebbeck (L.) Benth. Calotropis gigantea 35. 15. Aloe vera (L.) Burm.f. (L.) W.T.Aiton Calotropis procera 16. Alstonia scholaris (Lin) R 36. (Brown) (Aiton) W.T.Aiton 17. Amaranthus spinosus L. 37. Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze 18. Andrographis paniculata 38. Capsicum annuum L. (Burm.f.) Wall. ex Nees 39. Carum carvi L.m 19. Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam. 40. Carica papaya L. 5699

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Sl. Quantitative Analysis Scientific Name No. i. Relative Frequency of Citation 41. Carthamus tinctorius (RFC)

42. Cassia tora/ obtucifolia Soap bark tree (Acacia caesia (L.) 43. Datura fastuosa Willd) had the highest RFC (0.925) with 44. Datura metel L. rank I in study followed by biophytum 45. Emilia sonchifolia (Biophytum sensitivum) (0.775) and hog (L.) DC. Ex Wight weed (Boerhavia diffusa L. nom. cons.) 46. Eupatorium adenophorum (0.766) with rank II and III (See Table Spreng 1). This means that this species has been 47. Euphorbia antiquorum L. mentioned by maximum of informants 48. Euphorbia hirta and is the most recognized plant in the 49. Ficus hispida region having the most diverse use. 50. Ficus religiosa ii. Use Value (UV) 51. Gliricidia sepium The most commonly used species 52. Hyptis suaveolens (L.) Poit. was malabar nut (Adhatoda beddomei 53. Ixora coccinea L. C.B. Clarke) with 82 use reports by 85 informants, giving the highest use value 54. Jasminum angustifolium of 0.683. It is attributed to its use in the 55. Jasminum grandiflorum L. treatment of various diseases and it is well 56. Jatropha curcas L recognized by maximum of informants 57. Lantana camara var. aculeate L. to cure asthma, wound, bleeding, blood 58. Lawsonia inermis L heat, piles, cough, stomach pain and 59. Leucas aspera phlegm. Hog weed (Boerhavia diffusa L. nom. cons.) with 80 use reports by 92 60. Melia azedarach L. informants scored second highest use 61. Mesua ferrea value of 0.666 followed by broom weed 62. Monochoria hastifolia C.Presl (Sida acuta Burm.f.) with 76 use reports 63. Ocimum basilicum L. by 87 informants with use value of 0.633, 64. Ocimum sanctum bael (Aegle marmelos (L.) CorrêaC.B.) 65. Persicaria chinensis with 75 use reports by 77 informants with use value of 0.625 and holly basil 66. Sida acuta Burm.f. (Ocimum sanctum) with 74 use reports by 67. Sphaeranthus indicus Linn. 85 informants with use value of 0.616. It 68. Tragia involucrate L. reveals that the informants were found to 69. Vernonia cinerea Less. have high rate of dispersal of knowledge 70. Woodfordia fruticosa (L.) Kurz about ethnomedicinal plants and their use. 5700

A Quantitative Study on Indigenous Medicinal Plants used by Tribes of Keral

iii. Relative Importance Index (RI) based on use reports which have been cited by ten or more informants for being The plants with the maximum used against a given ailment. The highest number of medicinal purposes (four) FL value was found in soap bark tree were found to be soap bark tree (Acacia (Acacia caesia (L.)Willd.) with 92.50% caesia (L.)Willd) followed by neem tree followed by biophytum (Biophytum (Azadirachta indica A.Juss,) (three). Thee sensitivum) with 77.50% and hog weed high relative importance index of soap (Boerhavia diffusa L. nom. cons.) with bark tree (Acacia caesia (L.)Willd) with RI 76.60% respectively. While selecting the of 0.833 reported might be an indication most preferred plant species for each of its high availability and affordability in ailment category, the high Fidelity Level the study area. (%) in each category of ailment could be iv. The Fidelity Level (FL) used. To determine culturally important v. Informants’ Consensus Factor medicinal species in the society, Fidelity (ICF) Level (FL) of plants has been calculated The Informant’s Consensus Table 2. Informants' Consensus Factor (ICF) for Ailment Categories

Number Number Informant Sl. Ailment categories of use of taxa consensus factor No. reports(Nur) (Nt) (ICF) 1. Urological ailments (UA) 205 9 0.9607 Ear, nose, throat ailments 2. 45 4 0.9318 (ENTA) 3. General Health Ailments (GHA) 594 30 0.9510 4. Eye ailment (EA) 60 5 0.9322 5. Gynaecological/ andrological 181 9 0.9555 ailments (GAA) 6. Fever ailment (FA) 142 8 0.9503 7. Dermatological ailment (DA) 446 23 0.9505 8. Respiratory ailment (RA) 167 11 0.9397 9. Gastro-intestinal ailment (GIA) 298 18 0.9427 10. Skeleto- Muscular ailments 95 7 0.9361 (SMA) 11. Poisonous bites ailments (PBA) 137 8 0.9485 12. Lifestyle ailments (LSA) 312 20 0.9389 Total 2682 152 5701

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